


Positive

by DemonPoxHerondale



Series: Positive-verse [1]
Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-05 11:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14617070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonPoxHerondale/pseuds/DemonPoxHerondale
Summary: Emma and Julian tried to ignore their night at the beach. But what if it's not something they can ever forget? These are the consequences of trusting Clary's runes. This fic takes place after Lady Midnight and does not follow the events of Lord of Shadows. It contains no spoilers for any books past Lady Midnight.





	1. Chapter 1

Emma’s period was late. Two weeks late. And she was feeling a little sick. It was probably nothing. A cold, or a stomach bug. But being a Shadowhunter, she didn’t get sick very often. And it was some unfortunate timing for her first illness in years. And she couldn’t forget that night with Julian a few weeks ago, couldn’t push away the thought nagging at her in the back of her mind, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it and convince herself it was nothing. Because it was impossible. She had the rune. She trusted Clary’s runes to work. She couldn’t be pregnant...could she?

No. There was no way she could be. She was just sick.

But a week later, she wasn’t feeling any better. She was throwing up every day now, and she still hadn’t gotten her period. She was going to have to face the fact that it wasn’t going to go away if she ignored it. She was starting to think about a pregnancy test.

. . . . . .

_Positive_. Emma gasped.


	2. Chapter 2

A baby. Emma had a baby growing inside of her. And as if that wasn’t bad enough on its own, it was a highly illegal, would-get-her-and-Jules-stripped-of-their-runes baby. Which meant that she somehow had to hide it from everyone. And being pregnant would be easy enough to hide for a little while, but it wouldn’t work for long. Soon enough, she would have to tell someone. Soon enough, the Clave would find out. And that would be the end of her life. And Jules’. Which meant she had to do something about it.

 

“Emma!” Mark’s voice called through her door. “Dinner’s ready!”

 

_ Mark! That’s it! _

 

“Hold on! I’m coming!” Emma walked out the door and smiled at Mark, pretending to bite her lip. She brushed past him, trying to put some feeling into her touch. He raised his eyebrows and smiled back at her, before turning and leading the way to the kitchen. The kids were already seated around the table, and Jules was at the stove. Emma sank into a chair next to Livvy, and Mark sat down on her other side. Julian glanced over at them, and Emma leaned in toward Mark a bit to whisper in his ear. “Can I speak to you after dinner?”

 

A flash of hurt passed across Julian’s face, and he quickly turned back to the stove. Emma felt a guilty tug in her heart, but she needed to do this. She was protecting him, even if he didn’t know it.

 

“Of course,” Mark whispered back. 

 

Dinner passed all too slowly, and Emma was relieved when she could finally escape upstairs to speak with Mark. He stopped at his door and looked at her, and when she nodded, he opened the door and they walked in, Emma pulling it shut behind her.

 

“You wanted to talk?”

 

“I need a favor.”

 

“Favors are no light thing to faeries.”

 

“They are no light thing to Shadowhunters, either. You said you owed me. For taking care of Julian. For saving his life. You said you would do anything.”

 

“Please continue, then,” Mark finally said. “And if it is a favor in my power to grant, I will grant it.”

 

“If Julian asks--” Emma paused and took a deep breath “No. Whether he asks or not. I need you to pretend with me that we’re dating. That we’re falling in love.”

 

Mark’s eyes widened. “What?”

 

“You heard me. I know it seems strange.”

 

“It seems very strange. If you want Julian to think you have a boyfriend, why not ask Cameron Ashdown?”

 

“It has to be you.”

 

“Anyone would be your boyfriend. You’re a beautiful girl. You don’t need someone to lie.”   
  


“This isn’t for my ego,” Emma said frustratedly. “And I don’t want a boyfriend. I want the lie.”

 

“You want me to lie just to Julian, or to everyone?”

 

“I suppose everyone will have to believe it. We can’t ask them all to lie to Julian.”

 

“No,” Mark said with a smile. “That would be impractical.”

 

“If you’re not going to do it, tell me. Or tell me what I can say to convince you. This isn’t for me, Mark, this is for Julian. This could well save his life. I can’t tell you more than that. I have to ask you to trust me. I’ve protected him all these years. This--this is part of that.”

 

“You want me to tell him, tell everyone, that we are falling in love. Not that we are in love already?”

 

Emma blushed. “It needs to be believable.”

 

“There is much that you are not telling me. I assume you will want everyone to know that we have kissed. Perhaps done more.”

 

Emma nodded, and her blush deepened. “I swear to you, I’ll explain as much as I can if you agree. And I swear it could save Julian’s life. I hate to ask you to lie, but--”

 

“But for the ones you love, you’d do anything. I can see why you chose me. I am here, and close, and it would have been easy for us to begin a relationship. We are neither of us attached to someone else. And you are, as I said, a beautiful girl, and hopefully you don’t find me hideous.”

 

“No, not hideous,” Emma said, relieved.

 

“So I suppose I only have one more question,” Mark said, raising an eyebrow and holding out a hand to Emma. “Why lie?”

 

Emma hesitated, then pushed Mark’s hand away, frustrated. He looked hurt, and right then, she made the decision to tell him everything. She groaned and ran her hands through her hair. She mumbled something under her breath, hoping Mark wouldn’t hear. Unfortunately for her, he did.

 

“YOU’RE PREGNANT?!”

 

Emma groaned again.

 

“It was Cameron, was it not? Would you like me to kill him for you?”

 

“Please do! But no, it wasn’t him.”

 

Mark looked confused. “If not him, then--” Mark stopped for a second, clearly coming to a realization, then gasped. “It’s Julian.”

 

Emma nodded meekly. “It was a mistake. We were drunk, and alone, and it just sort of happened.  I don’t feel anything toward him. It was just hormone-driven drunk teenagers being hormone-driven drunk teenagers. But no one can know, obviously, so I need you to cover for me. I need it to be your baby. Please?”

 

“You and Julian. . . fine. I’ll do it. But I still don’t understand. Why lie?”

 

“Mark, what about Kieran? And Cristina?”

 

Mark shrugged. “Every lie has to have some truth to it.”

 

Emma bit her lip, considering. Then, she sighed, smiling a little, and shrugged. “I guess you’re right.” She took his hand and pulled him closer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has lines of dialogue taken directly from Lady Midnight. All credit to Cassandra Clare for that.


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours later, there was a loud knock at Emma’s door.

“We think we found something!” Livvy’s voice yelled through the door. “Come on!” Emma leapt out of bed and opened the door. She followed Livvy down to the library, where they rest of the family was already gathered. Ty was standing at the computer, rapidly explaining something.

“Wait, start over,” Emma demanded, walking over to stand shoulder to shoulder with Mark. Julian flashed her a hurt look, but she pointedly ignored him, despite the pang in her chest. Then Ty launched back into his explanation, and Emma turned her focus to his words, temporarily forgetting her situation. The investigation was still important. Even though Malcolm was dead and Emma had gotten her revenge, there were still some loose ends they needed to tie up-- mainly finding the Black Volume, which had sunk with Malcolm to the bottom of the sea.

For the next half hour, they debated Ty’s lead, eventually coming to the realization that it was a false start. Disappointed and going back to the other task at hand, Emma leaned into Mark a bit, and he put a comforting arm around her. She felt Julian’s eyes boring into her as she allowed Mark to lead her out of the room, glad that nobody else but Julian had seemed to notice. And as the door closed behind them, she pulled away a bit, still getting used to the idea of really being with Mark.

What she wanted was to return back to her room and be alone, but if she was going to pull this off, it needed to look real, so she followed Mark into his room.

“I’ve been thinking about this,” Mark said. “And not that I’m complaining about being your ‘boyfriend’, but why don’t you just get an abortion and then not have to worry about any of this?”

“I. . .” Emma started. “Well, Shadowhunters tend to frown upon that sort of thing. It’s not technically illegal . . . but no one does it.” Emma felt bad for reminding Mark that he was different from the rest of them, but she had to make it clear that an abortion was not an option. She had a baby growing inside of her. It was alive. An abortion would be murder.

“I’ve been thinking too,” Emma said, sitting down on Mark’s bed. He came and sat next to her, taking her hand. She pulled it away, annoyed. “I think I need to tell Cristina. She needs to know that there’s nothing actually going on between us, or she’s gonna hate me forever. And I don’t think I could survive that.”

“But why would Cristina be hurt? Isn’t there something between her and Diego?” Mark asked, confused.

“There is, but you would have to be an idiot not to see that she also has feelings for you, Mark. Seriously.”

“I knew she did, but I thought that was over now. And what do you mean, ‘nothing actually going on between us?’ Don’t you feel anything?” Mark tried to take her hand again, but she stood up.

“Look, Mark, I’m sorry, but I’m going through a lot right now, and I’m not ready for anything. I’m supposed to go train with Cristina now, and I’m going to tell her what’s going on. I have to go.” She rushed out of the room, avoiding Mark’s eyes. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself before changing into her gear and heading down to meet Cristina.


	4. Chapter 4

Cristina didn’t meet Emma’s gaze as she walked into the training room. She just mumbled a hello and threw a knife at the target, hitting it square in the center. Emma was feeling sick, but she needed to train, needed to let out all of her nervous energy with physical activity. She grabbed some knives off the table and stood in front of her own target, throwing them one after the other, all hitting their mark perfectly. But she didn’t feel any satisfaction. She walked across the room to the rope ladder, and climbed as high as she could before dropping to the ground. Emma stumbled her landing for the first time in years as a wave of nausea overtook her. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on breathing.

 

She felt a hand on her back and heard Cristina’s concerned voice ask if she was okay. She gulped down another mouthful of air and then opened her eyes, nodding. She wasn’t going to be doing any more intense training until after the baby came, it seemed.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cristina asked. 

 

Emma realized she still hadn’t moved from her position on the mat. Right then and there, Emma made a decision. She couldn’t wait any longer to tell Cristina. The sooner, the better.

 

“Actually,” Emma said softly, “we need to talk.” She could see worry in Cristina’s eyes.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Um, I think let’s shower and change first, and then I’ll come to your room. It’s a really, really long story.” Emma tried to laugh, make the situation seem lighter than it really was, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. This was too big to laugh about anymore.

 

**.  . .  . . .**

 

Fifteen minutes later, Emma was sitting cross-legged on Cristina’s bed, her damp hair dripping onto the sheets. Cristina sat across from her, waiting expectantly. 

 

Emma wasn’t really sure where to start. Should she start with Jules? Or start by reassuring her friend that nothing was going on with Mark? She figured she’d better just start at the beginning, and go from there.

 

“So, I know you knew that Julian and I had . . . er. . . slept with each other.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “Well, I’m kinda pregnant.” She let the words out in a rush, watching them take effect on Cristina’s face.

 

“You’re  _ pregnant!? _ ” Cristina exclaimed. “But. . . but . . . what about the rune? I knew you had slept together, and that in and of itself was a disaster. But a baby? How could you be so careless?”

 

“Here’s the thing: I had the rune. I know that’s impossible, but it’s the truth. I’m sure it hadn’t worn off yet-- it hadn’t been that long. And since people started using it, it’s never failed for anyone, so I have no idea how this could have happened.”

 

“Well, it did happen, so now what? You can’t hide it forever. Soon enough, you’ll start to show. And when the Clave finds out, they’re gonna be furious. So what are you going to do about it?”

 

“About that. . . I’m sure you noticed me and Mark earlier. I’m really sorry about this, but I asked him to pretend to be with me so it can be his baby. He agreed. I promise there’s nothing real between us, but I think this is the best way to cover it up. Since an abortion is not an option, better everyone think it’s his baby than Julian’s.”

 

“Okay, okay. Fine. We can only hope they never find out. But how much does Mark actually know? Did you tell him everything?”

 

“No. I told him it was Julian’s baby, but I didn’t tell him the full story. I told him it was, and I quote, ‘hormone-driven drunk teenagers being hormone-driven drunk teenagers’, and that there’s nothing between me and Julian. He seems to believe me.”

 

Cristina sighed loudly. “Fine. How long has it been? Since you got pregnant, I mean.”

 

“It’s been, like, a month.”

 

“Emma, you have to be sure about this. It’s nothing to laugh about. Soon enough, everyone is going to notice that you look pregnant. You need to give yourself time and brace for questions.”

 

“You’re right. I’m certain it’s been about a month, no more. I should have at least another month before anyone notices anything.”

 

“Yes. And you’re going to need to start seeing a doctor soon, too. Have you considered how you’re going to hide that?”

 

Emma groaned. To tell the truth, she hadn’t really thought through all the logistics of this, and she certainly hadn’t considered a doctor. Emma couldn’t remember the last time she had gone to a doctor. “I guess I’m going to have to tell them soon. But I need them to believe that I’m with Mark first. It needs to be long enough that I could have believably gotten pregnant already. I can hide my first appointment or two so that I don’t have to tell quite yet. And I don’t need to start going to the doctor yet-- I can start in a couple weeks.”

 

Cristina sighed. “All right, but you can’t put this all off forever.”

 

“I’m not saying forever! I’m saying two weeks. And I’ll spend that time continuing to build up my fake relationship with Mark.”

 

Cristina sighed again. Lots of sighing that night. “Fine. What you did was stupid, but you seem to be planning it fairly well, I’ll give you that. Good for you.”

 

“Thanks,” Emma said. She hugged Cristina, then hopped off the bed. “I’m gonna go talk to Mark some more.” She winked and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

    Emma settled onto the couch next to Mark, pulling a giant bowl of popcorn onto her lap. Dru had suggested that they all have a family movie night to take their minds off the investigation-- take a little break. She and Mark had taken an opportunity to silently announce their ‘relationship’, planning on some kind of PDA that they hoped everyone would notice. After all, they didn’t want to make an announcement.

 

From the front of the room, Julian was glaring daggers at the two of them. Emma had been distant from him for the past week, and she tried to avoid his eyes now.

 

“Alright, you guys. What movie are we gonna watch?” Jules asked, turning away from them.

 

“Dracula!” Dru called, and was immediately shot down by Julian, with a single look.

 

“No horror movies,” he said. Nobody argued.

 

“What about Princess Bride?” Livvy suggested. Ty wrinkled his nose. Even he was disagreeing with her, and that hardly ever happened.

 

“We’ve seen that wayyy too many times,” Emma said. Livvy groaned, but she didn’t argue.

 

“Um,” Mark started, and everyone turned to him. “What about… the one that we always used to see. Before the war. The one about Kansas.”

 

“Uh, the Wizard of Oz?” Julian said. Mark looked so desperate, and a chorus of yeses sounded from everyone. Even Kit. “Ooookay, then. Wizard of Oz it is.” Julian searched for a minute for the DVD, then placed it in the DVR, dimmed the lights, and walked back to the couch. Emma noticed that he sat on the opposite end of the couch from her and Mark.  _ Good. _

 

Two hours later, the credits started to roll on the screen. Quickly, Emma leaned in closer to Mark so it looked like the two of them had been cuddling the whole time. She pulled his arm around her and lay her head on his shoulder. Understanding Emma’s plan, Mark adjusted himself so it looked more accurate. Emma watched Julian’s silhouette get up from the couch to turn the lights back on, and braced herself for what was coming.

 

Immediately, Julian’s eyes flitted to where she and Mark were, and they widened. Then, they quickly hardened, and Emma could see him put up a wall of nonchalance. He watched her for another moment, then cleared his throat. At that same moment, Livvy seemed to notice the way she and Mark were sitting.

 

“Oh my God,” she said, “you . . . and Mark . . . and-- are you guys together?!”

 

Emma swallowed and tried to look ashamed-- which wasn’t entirely difficult. “Yeah. We are.” She was glad when Mark pulled his arm back --apparently also ashamed-- and she could sit comfortably again.

 

“Wow,” Livvy said. “I did not see that coming. But I guess it kinda makes sense. But Em, why didn’t you tell me? How long have you two been hiding this?” 

 

“Um, two weeks?” Emma said, confused but trying to come off as sheepish.

 

“You guys are so cute!” Dru exclaimed. “I’m so happy for you!”

Emma smiled at her. “Thanks, Dru.” She glanced at Cristina, whose face was blank. She still felt a little bad about doing this to her friend, but she had seemed to understand. Next to Cristina, Diego was grinning broadly.

 

“This is great, guys! You’ll make a wonderful couple. We can finally go on some double dates now.” Cristina glared at him and slapped his arm.

 

“Emma is dating Mark?” Tavvy asked, looking confused. Dru pulled him onto her lap and tried to explain things to him in seven-year-old terms.

 

Ty was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Kit, not saying anything. Emma was sure he was listening, though. Kit looked very puzzled, and like he wished he wasn’t in the midst of all of this. Emma was glad he had agreed to join them for movie night, as he had been reluctant to go to anything with the whole family. It was a shame that his first one had to be this.

 

Emma felt Mark take her hand, and she turned to him, doing her best to keep her face free of discomfort and to instead look happy. This was her life now, and she needed to get used to it.

 

Nobody but Emma seemed to notice that Julian had silently walked out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

    Emma took a deep breath, taking one last look into the mirror. Then, she turned away, forcing herself to leave her bedroom. She walked down the hall to Mark’s room and knocked on the door.

 

“Who is it?” Mark called.

 

“It’s Emma,” she replied.

 

“Come in.” Emma walked in and closed the door behind her. She took another deep breath. “What is it?” Mark asked. He got up off his bed and stepped closer to her. He put an arm around her, and Emma concluded that she must have looked distressed. She closed her eyes, but Mark took that as a further sign of distress rather than disgust. He reached up and touched her cheek, then ran his fingers through her long hair.  _ Oh, well.  _ Emma leaned into him and hugged him so he would stop. 

 

“Are you all right, Emma?” Mark asked, concern in his voice. At that, Emma pulled away. If she started speaking, he would surely stop what he was doing and listen to her.

 

“Um… well, I think it’s time we told everyone that I’m pregnant. I think it’s starting to show. They should believe it’s your baby.”

 

“Oh.” He looked like he was thinking about it, then said, “Very well. I understand. When do think you should make the announcement?”

 

“I want to do it tomorrow. If we don’t tell them, they’ll find out. And I’d rather I tell them myself than they figure it out on their own.”

Mark nodded. “Okay. I’ll be there when you need me.” 

 

“Thanks.” Emma gave a small smile, then mumbled an excuse about an assignment for Diana and walked out of the room.

  
  


**. . . . . .**

 

Emma paused outside the door to the dining room and took a deep breath. She felt Mark standing next to her, uncomfortably close. She took a tiny step to the side and closed her eyes. _ Mom, Dad, please help me get through this. Please don’t let the Clave find out the truth. And please don’t let Julian hurt himself. Please. _

 

__ Emma opened her eyes, stepped back next to Mark, and tried to clear her face of emotion. Mark reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly, and for once she squeezed back, taking comfort in the fact that he was here to help her.

Mark pushed open the door to the dining room and they walked inside. The chatter from the crowd around the table died down as they approached.

 

“Why’d you call us all here?” Livvy asked.

 

“I called you all here,” Emma said, “because Mark and I had something important to tell you all.” She was very aware of Julian trying to meet her eyes, and she made an effort to avoid him. “You see. . . well, there’s no easy way to say it.” She took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”

 

There was a moment of silence before everyone started yelling.

 

“Pregnant?!”

 

“NO WAY!”

 

“Who’s the daddy?”

 

“Is it Mark’s?”

 

“Duh it’s  Mark’s,  why else would they be holding hands?!”

 

Diego looked calm. “That was very careless of you, Emma,” he said, looking up at her from his chair. Cristina reached over and slapped his arm.

 

Emma waited for everyone to calm down before continuing. “It was an accident. We  _ were _ careless. But it happened. It’s been about six weeks. We thought you should all know.”

 

Julian’s eyes were boring into her. She could feel his suspicion and knew she had to work harder. “Have you seen a doctor yet?” he asked. The tone of his voice was unlike any she had heard before, and she felt like the guilt of what she was doing to him was tearing her up inside. “You need to see one.”

 

She swallowed. “Yes. I had my first appointment a couple days ago, and have another scheduled next month.” She paused. “Even though this was an accident, Mark and I are very happy together and we are going to love our baby and be the best parents we can be.”

 

Emma was about at her limit of this. Her hand was sweating in Mark’s, and she forced one more smile at everyone. “I have to go,” she said. “I’m not feeling too well. It’s nothing, just the baby, but I gotta run. Sorry.” She pulled her hand from Mark’s and tried not to sprint out of the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma was completely aware that Julian was following her, but she didn’t turn around until she had walked down the hall and up the stairs, where their conversation could not be overheard. Then she turned around to face him.

 

“Emma,” he started. “I know you. I know what you’re doing. And I already told you, it won’t work.”

 

“You think you know me,” she said coldly, and each word hurt her to say. “But you don’t. Not anymore.”

 

“But this baby. You’re really pregnant-- I believe that part. But it’s not Mark’s baby. . . it’s mine.”

 

“Of course it’s not yours! I  _ had  _ the  _ rune! _ And you know Clary’s runes always work. It was Mark! I am in love with  _ Mark! _ Us, we were never meant to be. This was never gonna work. We were being stupid. And, well, I’m serious now. There is absolutely no way you could have gotten me pregnant. No way at all. The rune wore off after, and I hadn’t put it back yet, and Mark and I had  _ sex.  _ So it is  _ his  _ baby.  _ Not  _ yours.” She could see her words taking effect. This had to work. 

 

“Emma. . .” Julian’s voice was so filled with pain that she could hardly bear to listen. “I just don’t believe you.”

 

“How?! Julian, I just don’t see how it could be your baby. I had the rune, for fuck’s sake! You need to get over it, Julian. I’m with Mark, and it’s Mark’s baby. You need to learn to deal with it.” With that, Emma swiveled on her heel and walked away, headed for Mark’s room. She knew Julian was watching her. 

 

Shoving down her nausea, she stormed into Mark’s room, leaving the door wide open. His room was empty, as she assumed everyone was still in the dining room. She yanked her phone out of her pocket and texted Mark.  _ Library ASAP.  _ She was practically slamming her fingers down on the screen, her blood thrumming through her veins.

 

She stalked back out of the room, brushing past Julian, and ran down the stairs to the library. Mark was standing there waiting for her, and he started to move closer and say something when he saw her approach, but he shut up when he saw the expression on her face.

 

Emma stepped closer to him and pushed him against the nearest bookshelf, making sure they were positioned so they could be easily seen from the door. Mark was looking more and more confused as she yanked his arms around her waist, tangled her fingers in his hair, and smashed her lips against his. 

 

But then, he seemed to understand. Or at least, she hoped so, because he started to kiss her back, feverishly. She closed her eyes and let herself imagine, for a second, that he was anyone but Mark. She heard footsteps from the hall just as Mark slipped his fingers beneath the fabric of her shirt. For once, Emma was grateful for Mark’s eagernesss. She could hear the footsteps stop right by the library, and she slid her hands underneath the collar of Mark’s shirt, still kissing him. Then, she heard the same footsteps receding from the library, almost at a run.    
  


When she was certain that Julian had left, Emma ripped herself away from Mark, breathless. His lips were swollen and his hair was a mess, and she assumed that she looked the same. She tugged the hem of her shirt down and tried to tame her hair. All the while, Mark looked bewildered, as if he had been awakened in the middle of a dream.

 

“Emma, what’s going on?”

 

“Mark, I’m so sorry. Julian started to suspect that it was his baby and he wasn’t convinced that we’re together and I needed him to believe it so I thought the only place he would go to right now would be the library so I asked you to meet me here and I wanted him to see us kissing and. . . and--” Emma felt a sharp pain in her right hand across her knuckles, followed by, inexplicably, an ache in her chest, right where her heart was. The pain wasn’t sharp, but somehow hurt more than her hand did. Then, images flashed through her mind: her and Mark holding hands on the sofa after the movie, her announcing that she was pregnant, and finally, what she assumed she and Mark must have looked like making out in the library.

 

_ Julian. _


	8. Chapter 8

Emma bolted out of the room and down the hall. As she ran, her  _ parabatai _ rune started to throb, and it was worse than any pain she had ever felt. She was feeling weaker and weaker as she moved, as if her body were being drained of all energy. Somehow, she ran faster still, sprinting up the stairs and bursting into Julian’s room. 

 

He was sitting on the ground on a pool of blood, broken shards of glass surrounding him, and a large jagged chunk was clutched in his palm. Fear radiated through her. There was a gaping gash across his wrist, and there was so much blood. She dropped down to her knees in front of him.

 

“Jules,” she whispered. “Oh my god, Jules.” His eyes were glassy and unfocused. She grabbed her stele from her belt and climbed into his lap.

 

“No,” he whispered. “No, Emma, I don’t wanna. . .”

 

Emma put her fingers against his lips. “Shhh. You’re not allowed to die.” She was aware of the tears making tracks down her cheeks, but she ignored them. She used a shard of glass to tear his shirt down the front so she could draw a rune across his chest. She took a deep breath. This was just like last time. She could do this.

 

Emma pressed the tip against his chest and closed her eyes. Images of her and Julian rushed to the surface. Laughing together as kids, fighting together in the Dark War, and more recently, kissing beneath the stars. The immense happiness she had felt at finally doing what she had always wanted to do. What he had always wanted. The stele started to move. She drew on instinct, eyes squeezed shut, letting herself get lost in the memories.

 

Julian gasped, and Emma’s eyes flew open. The  _ iratze _ on his chest was glowing golden, brighter than any runes they had drawn for each other in the past. It was beautiful. Quickly, she traced a blood replacement rune next to it, and it glowed just as brightly. The cut along his wrist began to close up, and Emma felt the relief overtake her in a wave.

 

“Emma,” Jules whispered. “Em.” Her tears were flowing harder now, and she flopped down against his chest. His arms encircled her, strong and familiar and comforting.

 

“Jules. Julian. Oh my god. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She was crying hysterically, and when she glanced up, she saw that his face was wet as well. “It’s yours. The baby, I mean. There was never anything with Mark. I didn’t know what to do. They’d strip us of our runes. They’d kill us. I’m so sorry. Julian. I love you.  _ I love you. _ ” 

 

He wound his fingers into her hair. “That’s the first time you’ve actually said it.” His voice was unsteady.

 

“Then I’ve got a lot of missed time to make up for. I love you I love you I love you I love you.” His whole body was shaking with relief and happiness as he clutched her. “I love you I love you I--” And then he was kissing her, and her senses exploded. She ran her hands over his shoulders as the kiss deepened. They were both still crying, their tears mingling as they slid down their cheeks.


	9. Chapter 9

Emma woke to a scream. It was Livvy in the doorway. She must have seen the blood on the floor. Emma sat up, and she could feel Julian stirring next to her. They had stumbled their way to the bed hours ago, both exhausted from the effects of blood loss, and fallen asleep in each other’s arms.

 

“Hey, Livs,” she said weakly. She was still tired. Julian had lost a lot of blood. “Don’t worry about the blood. We’re all good now.” Julian rubbed his eyes and sat up, too. As beautiful as he was, Emma thought, he looked terrible. She probably looked the same.

 

“Livvy, tell everyone we need to talk. Dining room in a half hour.”

 

“What, are you pregnant, too, Julian?” Livvy joked halfheartedly. When Julian didn’t laugh, she shook her head. “Fine. You guys better have a good explanation for all this,” she said, drawing a line between Julian and Emma with her finger. With that, she turned and walked away.

 

Emma turned towards Julian. “What are we telling them all?”

 

Julian sighed. “Everything, I think. There’s not much else to do at this point.”

 

“Good. I’m really tired of lying. We love each other, and nothing is going to change that.”

 

“Plus, we’ve got a little guy in there to think about.” He put his hand over her stomach, which she had noticed lately was starting to get a little bigger. Emma swatted his hand playfully.

 

“Who says it’s gonna be a boy?” She paused, then continued, “but, Jules, there’s something else I need to tell you.” Her tone was somber.

 

“What is it?” His mood had changed to match hers.

 

“That day I broke things off with you? It wasn’t just because it was illegal to be together. It was because Jem explained to me a little about why it’s forbidden. It’s not just a stupid law, Jules. There’s a real reason.” Emma told him everything Jem had told her, and when she was finished, he squeezed her hand.

“I’m not breaking up with you again. We’ll figure this out together.” She smiled at him, but it was a sort of sad smile. She was happy to finally be following her heart, but the law and the truth were still there, hanging over their heads.

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

 

_ 9 months later _

  
  


Emma clutched Cal to her chest. Julian put an arm around his girlfriend and the new addition to his family. 

 

“You’re so beautiful, aren’t you, little Cal-Cal?” Julian said.

 

“I know. He gets it from me, don’t you think?” Emma teased. Funny, because the baby had the trademarked Blackthorn green-blue eyes and brown hair. Cal was giggling now, and Julian reached for him. Emma handed the baby to Jules and leaned her head against his shoulder.

 

The past few months had been stressful, but now that she had had the baby, things were tinted with a shade of happiness. When they had spoken to Magnus, he had wasted no time talking to Catarina and researching in the Spiral Labyrinth, trying to find a way to help Emma and Julian. He had found a few possibilities, and Livvy, Ty, and Kit had been put in charge of puzzling one of them out. Clary Fairchild and Jace Herondale had decided to dedicate some of their time to helping them, too, though they hadn’t gotten very far. Magnus, Jem, and Tessa were working on something together, and they seemed to be having the most success of all of them. 

 

Emma and Julian, in the meantime, were ordered to stay away from the investigation and spend some quality time together. They did, after all, have five years to catch up on. While most of their time was spent alone, in Julian’s private studio, they had gone on a few double-dates with Diego and Cristina, as per Diego’s request. Neither Emma nor Julian could resist rolling their eyes at Diego’s perfection. 

 

When it was time for the baby to come, Emma had given birth with Julian on one side and Clary on the other. Instead of a Silent Brother, Jem had stood in the corner, while Tessa had helped deliver the baby. He had come out crying, but soon quieted when he was placed in his mother’s arms. Then, all of a sudden, what appeared to be a  blue-green lightning bolt shot from his fingers and turned his mother’s hair an electric blue. Emma had just laughed aloud in mild surprise and held him closer. 

In their research, they had found that a baby born of two  _ parabatai _ could, in fact, have magical powers. Since, as far as anyone in the Shadow world knew, no two  _ parabatai _ had ever had a baby, Emma and Julian had simply braced for the possibility, knowing they would love the baby no matter what. It was decided that Cal’s godfather would be Jace, much to Magnus’ chagrin, but this was softened by the fact that Clary, his biscuit, was named the godmother. 

 

Emma was snapped out of her reverie by Magnus yelling.

 

“Caligula Jonathan Blackthorn! Emma, your son has magicked away all the glitter on my fabulous pants!” Magnus tried to sound indignant, but he failed. Alec just laughed. He and Magnus had portaled to Los Angeles to visit Emma and Julian so that Alec could finally see the baby. Maryse was out of town, and it had taken much convincing on Magnus’ part for Alec to finally agree to leaving Max and  Rafael in Lily and Maia’s custody.

 

Magnus was right, though. Cal had, from his position in his father’s arms, made all the glitter on Magnus’ pants disappear. Emma and Julian were still adjusting to their son’s abilities, and making things disappear, was, admittedly, still new to them.

 

Alec rolled his eyes. “I think I like them better now. What do you think, Julian?”

 

Magnus scoffed, then playfully waved a fist at Cal, demanding that all missing glitter be returned to its rightful owner. Cal only giggled, but Magnus was smiling wide.

 

“Well, we had better get going, with or without that glitter. But I’d like to remind you that, whenever you need it, I would love to babysit Cal. I kind of miss the days when Max was young,” Alec said wistfully.

 

“Yes, I know, Alec. Magnus has told me this many times. And I totally trust you, believe me, but  _ someone _ wouldn’t even let me put him down in his crib. He has to be in our bed at night. Can you imagine him if we left Cal in your custody for even an hour?” Emma glared at Julian mockingly, not telling Alec that she felt the exact same way as her boyfriend.

 

“Well,” Alec said, “the offer still stands.”

 

“Thanks,” Emma said.

After Alec and Magnus portaled back to New York, Emma took Cal back from Julian.

 

“It’s time for a diaper change for you!” she exclaimed. Julian wrinkled his nose, and Cal just giggled again. “I love you! Yes, I do! I weeeeely weeeeely do!”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading our fic! We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we did writing it. It was inspired by a late night text conversation the summer that LM came out, when we just kind of thought it up: What if Emma’s rune, for whatever reason, didn't work, and she got pregnant? It quickly grew into an entire plot for a fanfic, and here we are now.
> 
> This is our first fic, so we’re really grateful to everyone that read it. And reviewers, we like you lots! Thanks for the feedback-- every single review helps. To anyone who hasn’t left a comment or a review, please do! We would really appreciate it. 
> 
> Also, we wrote a few one-shots as spin-offs of this fic. They’re the following stories in this series (the Positive-verse), so check them out! Be on the lookout for more one-shots coming in the future. We have some ideas in mind but are open to any suggestions; however, we make no promises!
> 
> Finally, just a disclaimer: all characters except for Cal belong to Cassandra Clare and the Dark Artifices series. Some lines of dialogue in the fic also belong to Cassandra Clare. We do not claim any ownership.
> 
> Thanks again for reading!
> 
> -DemonPoxHerondale


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